EFFECT OF MYCORRHIZAE INOCULATION ON THE GROWTH AND SUCCESS OF THREE TAXODIUM DISTICHUM HYBRIDS IN SALINE - IMPACTED COASTAL SOILS

In 2008, Galveston Island was severely impacted by Hurricane Ike, resulting in high salt deposition in the soil and groundwater. This caused a loss of many native plant species. A study was initiated to determine effective ways to promote the growth conditions of three bald cypress genotypes (Taxodium distichum var distichum and Taxodium distichum var mexicanum crosses) in salt-affected soils. The treatments applied were mycorrhizae inoculation, fertilizer application, and a combination of mycorrhizae inoculation and fertilizer application. A total of sixty (60) trees planted in plots of three rows and divided into five randomized replication blocks of four treatments each were used. Plants were measured for total height and diameter at breast height (DBH), and tree leaf nutrient concentration over the 2021 growing season. The effect of these treatments on soil health was determined by measuring the soil microbial functional diversity and soil respiration. None of the three treatments had a significant effect on height, diameter breast height, leaf nutrient concentration, soil microbial functional diversity, or soil respiration. This could be because of the limited spacing between the trees and the age of the trees. However, treatment with mycorrhizae alone and a combination of mycorrhizae and fertilizer showed the potential to improve the tree height and the DBH

A Mixed-Method Examination of Early Childhood Teachers’ Pedagogical Competency Profile

Teacher competency is a key research area because of the strong link between child development and the quality of early childhood education. This study aims to examine early childhood teachers’ self-reported pedagogical competency profiles and to determine the factors affecting their profiles. To reach that aim, a mixed-method study was designed as an explanatory sequential design. The participants comprised 290 early childhood teachers for the quantitative portion and 15 for the qualitative. The Early Childhood Teachers Competencies Assessment Rubric and an interview form, both developed and proved valid and reliable by researchers, were used. Two-step cluster analysis and inductive content analysis approaches were used to analyze the data. Some important findings are as follows: the teachers were grouped into high-, mid-, and low-competence clusters based mainly on the differences in the areas of instructional technology and educational planning competency. As the teachers indicated, social and individual factors determine their competency profiles. Furthermore, the teachers explained about their ongoing professional development endeavors to improve their competency profiles. The results of the study are discussed in detail, and suggestions are presented for planners/practitioners of teacher professional development programs, curriculum developers and faculty members at higher education institutions, and policymakers at the national and international levels in the hard way to reach out to more qualified early childhood education

A STUDY ON CLASSROOM TEACHER CANDIDATES’ CONCERN FOR NON-APPOINTMENT AND THEIR TEACHING MOTIVATION

One of the important elements of the education system is teacher and success of the education system is mainly based on the fact that teachers who will run the system have expected competencies. While the process of bringing teachers in competencies expected from them is seen important in the 21st century world, it is also important to run the appointment process of teachers in a healthy way. It is thought that current teacher appointment system of Turkey causes teachers to get concerned and this affects their motivation for teaching adversely. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the concern of teachers for non-appointment and their motivation for teaching. This study was designed in the screening model. Target population of the study is fourth-grade teacher candidates studying Classroom Teaching Department of five different Faculties of Education in Aegean, Black Sea and Marmara Region of Turkey in 2017-2018 academic year. The sample of the study consists of 370 teacher candidates selected by simple random sampling method. In the study, the "Non-Appointment Concern of Classroom Teacher Candidates’" was measured by "Teacher Candidates Non-Appointment Concern scale" developed by Eskici (2016) and the teaching motivation was measured by "Teaching Motivation Scale" adapted to Turkish by Candan and Evin Gencel (2015). Analysis of the research data was done by SPSS v.22 packaged software, and ANOVA and t-test techniques were used. According to the results of the study, non-appointment concern of classroom teacher candidates has been found to be at a moderate level and significant differences have been determined by universities. Although the concern is above moderate level, it has been determined that teacher candidates do not lose their teaching motivation and their teaching motivation points are still above moderate level. In addition, it has been determined that the motivation of teacher candidates varies significantly by universities. There has been no significant difference between genders in both variables. It is believed that this study will contribute to improvement of the 21st century teachers’ competencies and will create an environment of data driven thinking and discussion based on the related variables.  Article visualizations

A Case Study on the Problems and Suggestions in Foreign Language Teaching and Learning at Higher Education

This study explores and identifies some reasons for the problems of foreign language learning (English) and teaching from the perspective of instructors and learners using the case study model. The data of the study was gathered by a semi-structured interview form, and the study group of the research was composed of English language instructors and graduate students at Ahi Evran University. Random sampling method was used to determine 15 instructors and 20 graduate students to face-to-face interview, and the data of the study was analysed by content analysis method, which the students and instructors agreed on students who have been problematic in language learning process. In addition to students, examination systems, instructional programs, language teachers’ qualifications and learning environments have been considered as barriers to language learning. On the other hand, students and instructors suggested starting learning/teaching English earlier, much more practice and exams on all four skills; elective courses; more practice and communication; revisions in teacher training system, considering individual differences; motivating and encouraging students; and designing well equipped language environment and teaching materials

Self-medication with antibiotics: questionnaire survey among primary care center attendants

Purpose The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and reasons for self-medication with antibiotics within the last 12 months among primary healthcare center attendants aged 18 or over, in Ankara. Methods A questionnaire was applied by face to face interview technique to 2696 subjects attending at five primary healthcare centers. Information on demographic characteristics, intention to self-medication with antibiotics and self-medication within last 12 months were collected. Results It was found that 28% of the subjects were storing antibiotics at home. The percentage of self-administering antibiotics was 19.1% in the last 12 months. The most common reasons for self-administration of antibiotics were sore throat (59.6%), fever (46.2%), and cough (40.0%). Other reasons were dental infection, rheumatism, and fatigue. According to age groups, the most common self-medicating group was those aged 40–49 with 23% while the least self-usage was in the 60–69 age groups with 11.8%. Male sex, being single, educational level of secondary school or higher, being employed and not having social security increased self-administration of antibiotics ( p<0.05). Conclusions The study indicated the need for legal regulations regarding the sale of antibiotics without prescription and, health education is required for the community to decrease the inappropriate use of antibiotics and self-medication

Green Building Assessment Model for Historic Buildings of Turkey

Grave structures are architectural works reflecting the cultural accumulation, continuity and political power of societies. In the context of sustainability, while "green building" certification systems are developing in building productions in the world, new guidelines are also being created. Of course, new guidelines are also being developed on the certification as green buildings within the scope of the protection and restoration of historical buildings that should be specially considered. In this study, it is aimed to create a model that will allow the historical buildings in Turkey to be evaluated in the context of “the green building” concept. With this model, it is considered that historical building conservation practices will contribute positively to the works of restorers in making those heritage sites more environmentally friendly and sustainable. For the model designed to evaluate historical buildings within the scope of green buildings, historical buildings were handled under 3 groups: a) 1st Group Historical Buildings, b) 2nd Group Historical Buildings and c) Reconstructed Historical Buildings. As creating the designed model, GBC-Italy system criteria were taken as the basis. The criteria were carried out by conducting a questionnaire with experts in this field. Importance of the relevant evaluation criteria in the scoring system were determined by using the AHP method. As a result of the analyzes and calculations, the accuracy of the scoring was confirmed. As historical buildings are evaluated according to the conditions of their periods, it is obvious that they are sustainable buildings. Naturally, nowadays to be able to preserve historical buildings for the future generations in a proper way is usually ensured by giving them a new function. The requirements of the new functions given to create the necessary equipment to provide today's comfort conditions in historical buildings naturally change the sustainable characteristics of the historical heritage. This evaluation system, designed to preserve the green building characteristics of historical buildings and to ensure their sustainability with their new functions, will be an important guide

In vitro istraživanje protugljivičnih svojstava, ukupnog sadržaja polifenola i antioksidativne aktivnosti različitih dijelova odabranih voćkarica

The purpose of this study was to investigate the antifungal properties, total polyphenolic content and antioxidant activity of sapwood, heartwood and bark parts obtained from three different fruit trees; olive (Olea europaea L.), loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) and date plum (Diospyros lotus L.) grown in Turkey. Firstly, the hydrodistillation products (essential oil, hydrosol, hot-water extract) were acquired from these parts of selected trees, and methanol and ethanol extracts of the same samples were also prepared for the analysis. The antifungal activities of essential oil, hydrosol, hot-water extract, ethanol and methanol extracts were determined against wood-rot fungus Coniophora puteana. In addition, polyphenol contents and antioxidant activities of ethanol and methanol extracts were investigated. According to the results, generally, the essential oil of the parts of three fruit trees was found to inhibit the fungal growth. All hot water extracts and hydrosols of these trees showed no antifungal activity against C. puteana. It was found that olive tree had higher antifungal activity than loquat and date plum trees. The methanol extract of loquat bark gave the highest total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and condensed tannin content compared to parts of the other trees. Furthermore, the highest total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity among three fruit trees were determined in ethanol and methanol extracts of the bark and heartwood of loquat tree. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that the parts of studied fruit trees have less or more antifungal and antioxidant activity depending on the experimental parameters, and therefore they can be evaluated as alternative natural antifungal and antioxidant sources.Cilj ovog rada bio je istražiti protugljivična svojstva, ukupni sadržaj polifenola i antioksidativne aktivnosti bjeljike, srži i dijelova kore drva triju voćkarica koje se uzgajaju u Turskoj: masline (Olea europaea L.), nušpule (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.) i draguna (Diospyros lotus L.). Najprije su od dijelova odabranih stabala izolirani produkti hidrodestilacije (esencijalna ulja, hidrosol, vodeni ekstrakt), a zatim su za analizu izolirani i ekstrakti u metanolu i etanolu. Protugljivična aktivnost esencijalnog ulja, hidrosola, vodenog ekstrakta te ekstrakata u metanolu i etanolu određena je na primjeru gljive uzročnice smeđe truleži, Coniophora puteana. Osim toga, istraženi su sadržaj polifenola i antioksidativna aktivnost ekstrakta u metanolu i etanolu. Rezultati pokazuju da esencijalna ulja iz dijelova voćkarica usporavaju rast gljiva. Svi vodeni ekstrakti i hidrosol nisu pokazali protugljivično djelovanje na C. puteana. Utvrđeno je da drvo masline ima jaču protugljivičnu aktivnost nego drvo nušpule i drvo draguna. Ekstrakt kore nušpule u metanolu ima najveći ukupni sadržaj fenola, ukupni sadržaj flavonoida i kondenziranog tanina u usporedbi s dijelovima ostalih vrsta drva. Nadalje, za ekstrakt kore i srži drva nušpule u etanolu i metanolu utvrđen je najveći ukupni sadržaj polifenola i antioksidativna aktivnost od svih triju voćkarica. Na temelju tih rezultata može se zaključiti da dijelovi istraživanih voćkarica imaju manje ili više protugljivično i antioksidativno djelovanje, ovisno o parametrima istraživanja te se stoga mogu ocijeniti kao alternativni prirodni izvori protugljivičnih i antioksidativnih sredstava

Longitudinal 16S rRNA data derived from limb regenerative tissue samples of axolotl ambystoma mexicanum

WOS: 000469960800002PubMed ID: 31123261The Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) is a critically endangered species and a fruitful amphibian model for regenerative biology. Despite growing body of research on the cellular and molecular biology of axolotl limb regeneration, microbiological aspects of this process remain poorly understood. Here, we describe bacterial 16S rRNA amplicon dataset derived from axolotl limb tissue samples in the course of limb regeneration. The raw data was obtained by sequencing V3-V4 region of 16S rRNA gene and comprised 14,569,756 paired-end raw reads generated from 21 samples. Initial data analysis using DADA2 pipeline resulted in amplicon sequence variant (ASV) table containing a total of ca. 5.9 million chimera-removed, high-quality reads and a median of 296,971 reads per sample. The data constitute a useful resource for the research on the microbiological aspects of axolotl limb regeneration and will also broadly facilitate comparative studies in the developmental and conservation biology of this critically endangered species

Akromegalia może wiązać się z zaburzeniami rozkurczu dolnego zwieracza przełyku (LES)

  Introduction: Although prolonged small intestine and colonic transit time has been demonstrated in acromegaly patients, the influence of acromegaly on oesophagus motility and the pathological mechanisms involved are still not clarified. We aimed to investigate manometric measurements to ascertain whether oesophagus motility is affected in active acromegaly patients. Material and methods: The study was performed in an institutional referral centre at a tertiary care hospital. Twenty-three acromegaly patients (mean age 43.2 ± 13.2 years) and 25 sex- and age-matched healthy control subjects (mean age 48.6 ± 7.9 years) were recruited to a case-control study. Oesophageal manometry was performed using MMS (Medical Measurement Systems, Netherlands) Solar GI — Air Charged Intelligent Gastrointestinal Conventional Manometry. Results: In manometric measurements the lower oesophageal sphincter pressure was 18 ± 7 mmHg in acromegaly patients and 15.6 ± 4.4 mm Hg in controls, and there was no significant difference (p = 0.17). The percentage of relaxation was 64.8% and 81.8%, respectively, and it was significantly lower in acromegaly patients than in controls (p &lt; 0.001). Additionally, the duration of relaxation was found to be 4 ± 1.9 seconds and 5 ± 1.7 seconds in patients and controls, respectively (p = 0.049). Conclusions: Our study has demonstrated a significant reduction in the percentage and duration of lower oesophageal sphincter relaxation in oesophagus motility even in acromegaly patients without any gastrointestinal symptoms. Further clinical and pathophysiological studies are required to clarify the underlying mechanisms of gastrointestinal motility disorders in acromegaly. (Endokrynol Pol 2015; 66 (4): 308–312)    Wstęp: Chociaż u pacjentów chorujących na akromegalię wykazano wydłużony czas pasażu żołądkowo-jelitowego, wpływ akromegalii na motorykę przełyku oraz powiązane z tym mechanizmy patologiczne nadal nie są wyjaśnione. Celem pracy było zbadanie za pomocą pomiarów manometrycznych czy motoryka przełyku ulega zmianie u pacjentów z aktywną akromegalią. Materiał i metody: Badanie przeprowadzono w ośrodku referencyjnym w szpitalu specjalistycznym. Dwudziestu trzech pacjentów chorujących na akromegalię (śr. wiek 43,2 ± 13,2 lat) oraz w grupie kontrolnej 25 osób dopasowanych pod względem płci i wieku (śr. wiek 48,6 ± 7,9 lat) zostało zakwalifikowanych do badania kliniczno-kontrolnego. Manometrię przełyku wykonano za pomocą MMS (Medical Measurement Systems, Holandia) Solar GI. Wyniki: W pomiarach manometrycznych u pacjentów ciepiących na akromegalię, ciśnienie dolnego zwieracza przełyku wynosiło 18 ± 7 mm Hg, a u osób kontrolnych wynosiło ono 15,6 ± 4,4 mm Hg, nie było więc znaczącej różnicy między grupami (p = 0,17). odsetek rozkurczu wynosił odpowiednio 64,8% i 81,8% i był on znacznie niższy u pacjentów z akromegalią (p &lt; 0,001). Ponadto, długość trwania rozkurczu wynosiła odpowiednio 4 ± 1,9 sek. i 5 ± 1,7 sek. (p = 0,049). Wnioski: Niniejsze badanie wykazało znaczną redukcję odsetka i czasu trwania rozkurczu dolnego zwieracza przełyku w motoryce przełyku, nawet u pacjentów z akromegalią bez objawów żołądkowo-jelitowych. Należy przeprowadzić dalsze badania kliniczne i patofizjologiczne, aby wyjaśnić mechanizmy leżące u podłoża zaburzeń motoryki żołądkowo-jelitowej u pacjentów chorujących na akromegalię. (Endokrynol Pol 2015; 66 (4): 308–312)

Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of a commercial noni juice revealed by carrageenan-induced paw edema

This study aimed to investigate antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of a commercial product of noni (Morinda citrifolia) juice. Carrageenan-induced rat paw edema was employed as inflammatory model. One control and three experimental groups were formed. Experimental groups were administered noni juice alone, noni juice+carrageenan, and carrageenan alone. Oxidant and antioxidant capacity were determined by d-ROMs test and BAP test, respectively. Plasma concentrations of endothelin-1 and leptin were measured by ELISA. Measurements were performed at zero time and 2nd hour of inflammation. Oxidant capacity decreased in noni-received groups at 2nd hour (p=0.019). Antioxidant capacity of the group which received noni alone was found to be higher at 2nd hour (p=0.036). Plasma concentrations of endothelin-1 and leptin were notably lower in noni-received groups (p=0.001 and p=0.021, respectively). The results show that the commercial noni juice investigated has pronounced antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities